


Recoil

by StarryWrites



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryWrites/pseuds/StarryWrites
Summary: "Carasynthia, stop!"For a long moment the clang of his helmet hitting the ground reverberated across the bridge.(Some S2 finale feels, set immediately after.)
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin/Cara Dune
Comments: 11
Kudos: 145





	Recoil

**Author's Note:**

> That season finale hurt me in all kinds of way, so I'm back with another angsty drabble that wasn't as cathartic as I'd hoped.

"Din, _what the fuck?"_

Cara knew how to keep a level head. A person had to when you didn't know when the next battle was coming for you. Even staring down that ISB pilot taunting her about Alderaan she managed to restrain herself, mostly.

But this...this was too much. And some tightly coiled spring inside her finally snapped.

"You're just going to let some stranger take the kid," she continued, dropping her gun carelessly to the floor and stomping her way to close the short distance between them. 

"He's a Jedi. That's what Grogu needs."

She rounded on him, emotions flying so fast she could hardly process what she was doing.

"He's your _son_! You don't even know where they're going."

"Cara, please…"

She snatched his helmet off the floor and thrust it toward his chest.

"Put that bucket back on your head and go after him, you nerfherder. Tell him it's all a mistake-"

"Carasynthia, stop!" Din's voice rang against each cold, hard surface while his hands circled her wrists, gripping them as tight as he could around her vambraces. 

She recoiled, wide-eyed with shock that the normally stoic man actually raised his voice to use her full name, let alone put hands on her. Cara didn't try to break his grip.

For a long moment the clang of his helmet hitting the ground reverberated across the bridge. Deafening silence followed.

"Grogu made the decision and I...I had to let him go."

Unshed tears glistened in Din's eyes. Regret twisted in Caras gut as she realized he was a mess, too. 

"I know he's your kid but I…" She looked away and then down at their feet, trying to find the right words to say. Cara looked back up after a beat. "If you had asked me to come with you back then, after what happened on the lava river, I would have. I wanted to be with you and the kid. And now…"

Cara sniffled, her face scrunching up in a futile attempt to hold off the waterworks. Hot tears fell earnestly, burning her eyes and prickling her cheeks. 

"And now I didn't even get to say goodbye."

She hung her head, ashamed at her selfishness. Din was the kid's father and she...what was she anyway? A friend? Or just a convenient soldier to have on his side? 

Since Din came into her life she always seemed to be fighting for the kid. Now he was gone. 

She wasn't anyone anymore. Just a marshall of the New Republic, as if that meant anything knowing the Empire was still at work.

Her legs trembled until her knees finally gave out.

Cara couldn't say if she pulled him down or he collapsed on his own volition, but there they were: a crumpled heap on the bridge of an Imperial light cruiser.

At some point he had released her wrists. One hand now dug into her braid painfully, the other gripped the collar of her armor. His face was buried in the inky waves cascading down her neck. 

"What have I done," he sobbed.

"You did what you thought was best for your son," she tried to reassure him between her own heaving sobs, gently running her fingers through his messy curls. 

They stayed like that, crying in each other's arms, for what felt like hours. 

After a time, Cara caught Fennec from the corner of her eye, creeping out to rendezvous with Fett, their promise now complete. She flicked her eyes up to check on the whereabouts of the Mandalorian women. They had their backs turned, gazing out the viewport, pretending not to hear the wet sobs and sniffles. Cara was grateful for this small act of kindness. 

It wasn't until their tears had ebbed and their breathing evened that Cara dared to speak.

"I'm sorry, Din." 

He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "Me too."

"Hey, you said it yourself that you'll see him again. You'll just have to bring me along," she cupped his cheek, coaxing him into looking at her. "Everything will b- _dank ferrik_."

She looked away abruptly as she swore, reality finally hitting her like a ton of bricks. "I keep kriffing everything up. I'm sorry. I didn't really see-" 

"Loth cat is out of the bag now." His voice was soft and a bit melancholic as he returned her earlier gesture, guiding her face back to his. Tentatively, she obliged.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi."

Din looked uneasy, yet leaned into the hand on his cheek all the same. His gaze flitted from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Cara took it as encouragement to softly press her lips to his. Din chased after her fleeting kiss with one of his own, deeper and rougher around the edges.

For that moment, tangled on the steel floor, grief was dulled by hope. 

**Author's Note:**

> I just couldn't leave it with a sad ending.


End file.
